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- Canadian travel to the U.S. has dropped sharply in 2024, especially since new trade tensions and political friction emerged.
- Airlines, hotels, and tourism businesses are seeing cancellations, flight cuts, and billions in lost revenue.
- If this trend continues, the U.S. could lose up to $4.3 billion in revenue and face serious economic strain in border towns and tourist hotspots.
Fewer Canadians Visiting the U.S.? The Economic Fallout Might Be Bigger Than You Think
A quiet boycott is brewing—and it’s got everything to do with Canadian travelers turning their backs on the U.S.
For years, Canadians have poured across the border for everything from shopping sprees to sun-soaked snowbird getaways. They came for baseball games, outlet malls, and yes—even just a Costco run in Buffalo. But in 2024, something shifted. And it’s starting to sting.
We’re not talking about a few cancelled trips. We’re talking a 40% drop in Canadian bookings to U.S. cities in February alone. Airlines are cutting routes. Hotels are seeing emptier rooms. Border towns are watching their sales tax revenue shrink. And when you realize that Canadians spend over $20 billion in the U.S. annually? Yeah… it’s a big deal.
So, What Changed?
The turning point seems to trace back to February 2024—right when trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada flared up again. Tariffs, political jabs, and what some Canadians are calling a “slap in the face” triggered an emotional response.
"We’re boycotting them for sure," one Canadian traveler said bluntly. "They’re poking us in the eye, so we’ve got to poke them back."
Surveys began to show what was initially just grumbling turning into real action. A recent poll found more than 60% of Canadians planned to entirely avoid traveling to the U.S. this year.
That used to sound like talk. But the numbers now? They’re screaming.
The Drop Is Real—and It’s Costly
In March 2024 alone, Canada recorded a 32% drop in return trips from the U.S. by car, compared to the previous year. That’s the lowest cross-border movement since 2022, when pandemic restrictions were still slowing everyone down.
And it’s not just car travel. According to Flight Centre, 1 in 5 Canadians canceled U.S. trips in the past three months. Airlines responded quickly—United cancelled a new Toronto-to-L.A. route it had planned to launch this May.
It’s not hard to see why this hurts. Every Canadian tourist brings dollars with them. Meals. Hotels. Theme parks. Local tours. Rental cars. Even those day-trippers crossing into places like Buffalo or Bellingham to hit a Target or catch a concert—they all spend.
Last year alone, Canadians dropped $20 billion USD in the United States. That’s more than Americans spent at McDonald’s in 2024. (And Americans love McDonald’s.)
The Local Impact: "It Sucks, Man. It’s Rough."
The numbers are devastating, but the human impact hits harder.
Take the New York City tour operator who used to make $35,000 a year just from Canadian high school field trips. In 2025? He’s on track for $5,000, and still seeing weekly cancellations.
“I hire 15 tour guides,” he said. “My inability to keep them working? It’s crushing. They love what they do—and it’s being taken away.”
In Florida, a motel owner who’s hosted Canadian snowbirds for 35 years says he’s operating at 30% capacity when he should be closer to 80%.
“We’re missing them. It’s not just money—it’s friendships, it’s community,” he shared.
Then there are the smaller U.S. towns, like those in the Adirondacks, that rely heavily on Canadian tourism. Their regional tourism board estimates a 20% visitor drop would slash $12 million from the local economy. That’s just one region.
The Ripple Effect: It's Bigger Than You Think
What makes this all so serious is how interconnected the spending is. That money doesn’t just pad hotel profits or theme park margins—it funds local services.
In places like Buffalo, Canadian day-trippers help fill city coffers through sales tax revenue. County officials say February’s tax income dropped 7%, and they’re blaming the dip on fewer Ontarians crossing over.
Why does that matter? Because tax revenue fuels things like police, fire departments, sanitation, and public services. And when that money disappears, cities feel it.
Let’s break it down:
- If 4 million fewer Canadians visit this year
- And they’d typically spend around $1,000 per trip...
- That’s $4.3 billion in lost economic activity.
- At a 5% average sales tax? That’s $215 million in vanished tax revenue.
That’s not small change. And it’s not easily replaced by domestic tourism.
What's Fueling the Boycott?
A few major themes keep popping up:
- Trade disputes and the revival of Trump-era tariffs
- Border tensions, including aggressive customs searches of phones/laptops
- Perception of hostility, especially with Canada being labeled as the “51st state” by U.S. politicians
- A desire to "vote with their wallet" and send a message through consumer choices
It’s not just emotional. It’s strategic. Canadians are choosing to spend locally or explore new international destinations—and they’re doing so in large numbers.
Can the Damage Be Undone?
That's the question on everyone's mind. U.S. lawmakers in border states are starting to take notice.
“The current situation is not good for my state,” said one official. “We need to bring the Canadians back.”
Whether that means easing political tensions, adjusting tariffs, or simply making cross-border experiences more welcoming—it’s clear that something’s gotta give. Because right now, the trend is downward.
And if things continue as they are? The U.S. might be learning the hard way just how valuable those maple leaf-waving tourists really are.
As more Canadians stay home or head elsewhere, American businesses—from small-town diners to big-city hotels—are feeling the pinch. The question isn’t if it’s affecting the economy. It’s how deep the damage will go. Stay tuned, stay informed, and never underestimate the power of polite protest with 3-Min Reads!
#CanadaUSrelations #CanadianTourism #USEconomy #TravelBoycott #CrossBorderSpending
